Convoy Inc., a Seattle-based trucking startup whose investors include Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates, will slash hundreds of jobs in the coming days as it prepares to woo prospective buyers, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The once-buzzy startup, often described as the Uber for trucking, has already whittled its staff down to about 500 people from a peak of 1,500, and was on track to run out of money in a matter of weeks, said people familiar with the matter. A majority of the remaining employees will be let go in an effort to make Convoy more attractive to potential acquirers — most likely established companies in the trucking industry that the startup was trying to disrupt, the person said.
Other suitors, who are less active in the negotiations now, include Walmart Inc. and A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified because they weren’t authorized to share the information.
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